Latest news with #Defense Ministry
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former PM Ehud Olmert calls Katz's humanitarian city plan a 'concentration camp'
Katz recently said that the Defense Ministry would build a new 'humanitarian city' in the Rafah area for at least 600,000 Palestinians. Former prime minister Ehud Olmert called Defense Minister Israel Katz's "humanitarian city" plan in Gaza a "concentration camp" in an interview with the Guardian on Sunday. "It is a concentration camp. I am sorry," he said. Katz recently said that the Defense Ministry would build a new humanitarian city in the Rafah area for at least 600,000 Palestinians. Anyone who entered would have limitations on their ability to go in and out of the area and would only be allowed to enter after being carefully checked for possessing weapons. Olmert said that Israel was already committing war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, telling the Guardian that constructing the humanitarian city would "mark an escalation." "If they [Palestinians] will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city,' then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing. It hasn't yet happened," the former prime minister said. Olmert told the Guardian that he did not consider Israel's current campaign in Gaza as ethnic cleansing, because evacuating civilians to protect them from fighting was legal under international law, and Palestinians returned to areas where operations concluded. He called government claims that the humanitarian city aimed to protect Palestinian civilians "were not credible." Additionally, Olmert also called the killing of two Palestinian men, including an American citizen, by Israeli settlers "war crimes." "Unforgivable. Unacceptable. There are continuous operations organized, orchestrated in the most brutal, criminal manner by a large group." Olmert described cabinet ministers who support the further expansion of settlements in Gaza and the West Bank as "the enemies from within." The former prime minister said that he supported the initial campaign against Hamas after the October 7 massacre, but criticized the government for abandoning negotiations for a ceasefire "publicly and in a brutal manner."
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine to receive German-funded long-range weapons this month
Ukraine will receive its first batch of long-range missiles financed by Germany by the end of July, a top German general has said, acknowledging that Kiev's battlefield situation is deteriorating. In an interview with ZDF, Major General Christian Freuding, who oversees the coordination of Berlin's military support for Kiev, said Germany is 'ready to make these weapons systems available.' Ukraine will receive the weapons 'by the end of this month,' Freuding stated, adding that they will arrive 'in high three-digit numbers.' He did not specify which missiles will be delivered or what their range is. 'We need weapons systems that can reach deep into Russian territory and attack depots, command facilities, airfields, and aircraft,' Freuding said. He went on to say the deliveries stem from a contract between Ukraine's Defense Ministry and its domestic weapons industry, backed by German funding secured in late May. Freuding stressed that Germany is not providing Kiev with long-range Taurus missiles with a range of 500km. Despite Ukraine's pleas, Berlin has been reluctant to approve deliveries, arguing that doing so could escalate the hostilities and draw Germany into the conflict. He acknowledged that Ukraine is facing mounting battlefield challenges, noting that Russia is making 'small but steady' gains, forcing Ukrainian units to retreat to deeper defensive lines. In the air, the situation has 'worsened in recent weeks,' he said, citing a single night when Kiev came under an attack involving more than 700 drones and dozens of missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry has said it only attacks military-related facilities and never targets civilians. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed support in late May for developing Ukraine's own long-range weapons. He said that while Kiev will receive German financial backing to procure these systems, it will not face restrictions on how it uses them. Russia has warned against Western military aid to Ukraine, saying it will only prolong the conflict without changing the outcome. Responding to Merz's announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Germany of 'competing with France in primacy for stoking the war,' warning that these moves hinder peace efforts. He added that supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine would bring an 'inevitable escalation.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US D-9 bulldozers worth billions of shekels arrive in Israel after Trump admin. releases shipment
Over 100,000 tons of military equipment have arrived in Israel through 870 airlifts and 144 sea shipments since the start of the war. A US shipment of dozens of D-9 bulldozers for IDF ground troops arrived in Israel on Wednesday, following its release by the Trump administration, the Defense Ministry confirmed. "The shipment of D9 bulldozers is part of a broad-scale arming and military equipment effort worth billions of shekels, which the US government released and the Defense Ministry procured and transported to Israel," Defense Ministry Director-General Maj.-Gen. (res) Amir Baram said, adding that Israel has received a number of cargo ships and aircrafts in the past several weeks. "We must continue to strengthen our military buildup to support all of the IDF's needs in the current campaign and in preparation for the next decade," Baram said. Over 100,000 tons of military equipment have arrived in Israel through 870 airlifts and 144 sea shipments since the start of the war. According to the ministry, this is the largest exchange in Israel's history. The shipment was conducted in a joint operation led by the Defense Ministry's procurement delegation in the US, the IDF Planning Directorate, and the International Security Transport Unit within the ministry.
